West Bengal's Final Electoral Roll Faces Publication Delay Beyond February 28
The publication of West Bengal's final electoral roll is now expected to be delayed beyond February 28, as indicated by the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office on Monday. This development follows a Supreme Court hearing that granted additional time for electoral roll preparation.
CEO Outlines Extended Timeline for Roll Preparation
Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal stated on Monday, "I will try my level best so that the roll preparation is complete and approval of the EC is obtained for publishing the final roll before the end of this month." However, he quickly clarified the practical constraints.
"The Supreme Court gave an additional 7 days to the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) post February 14," Agarwal explained. "After the EROs complete their work, the District Electoral Officers (DEOs), roll observers and the CEO will have to super-check everything, and the CEO will have to ensure the roll health, particularly. The entire exercise will take at least 7 days. Then the commission will need 3-4 days to publish the final roll."
This timeline suggests the final publication could extend into early March, despite Agarwal's initial commitment to end-of-February completion.
Micro Observer Deployment Creates Logistical Challenges
A significant factor in the delay involves the deployment of micro observers for Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) related work. The state government submitted a list of approximately 8,500 officers to the Election Commission for micro observer roles.
However, a senior official at the Bengal CEO office revealed discrepancies in communication. "We did not receive any such list from the state. The DEOs might have got the list," the official stated, highlighting coordination issues between state and electoral authorities.
Currently, over 8,000 micro observers from central government departments, central Public Sector Undertakings, and nationalized banks are deployed. This number is expected to increase to approximately 17,000 with the addition of state government officials.
"Now, this number will increase to approximately 17,000. We don't know when 8,500 state govt officials will come and how many of them will join. We are also in the dark about their training," the official admitted. "But, once they join, the workload of our existing micro observers will be reduced to some extent."
The official noted that 90% of currently deployed micro observers understand Bengali well, which is crucial for effective voter engagement in the state.
Training and Appointment Process Adds Further Delays
According to Election Commission sources, the appointment and training process for the additional 8,500 state officials will require substantial time. The CEO needs 1-2 days to issue appointment letters, followed by at least 2 days of training.
"The EC will take another 5-7 days to provide them with the required login," a source revealed. "Therefore, if the appointment letters are issued on Tuesday, then they will be on the ground for the work after 8 days minimum from today."
Another EC source raised concerns about the feasibility of deploying such a large number of state officers. "The state administration is already grappling with a shortage of officers. Will any officer remain with the administration if the govt provides us with 8,500 officers?" the source questioned, suggesting the state's list might include all sanctioned posts rather than currently available officers.
Verification Progress and Upcoming Meetings
Despite the challenges, verification work continues. The CEO reported that slightly over 1 crore documents received during hearings have been uploaded for verification, with most already undergoing the verification process.
Looking ahead, CEO Manoj Agarwal is scheduled to attend a preparatory meeting at Nirvachan Sadan on Tuesday. This meeting will address critical issues including:
- Publication timeline for the final electoral roll
- Election Commission full bench visits to West Bengal
- Notification procedures for upcoming elections
- Vote counting arrangements and protocols
The extension request from Agarwal to the Election Commission on February 7, seeking a week's extension for hearing and verification deadlines to February 14, has now been further complicated by the Supreme Court's additional seven-day extension and the logistical hurdles in micro observer deployment.
